Pieve Vergonte
Pieve Vergonte is a comune in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Piedmont region of Italy. It is about northwest of Verbania and northeast of Turin.
Physical geography
Pieve Vergonte is located in lower Ossola, along the course of the Toce. Various watercourses are present in the municipal territory: Torrente Marmazza, the most important watercourse of Pieve Vergonte, Rio San Rocco, Rio Santa Maria, Rio Toietti, Rio della Fontana, Rio Valletta, Rio della Vallaccia, Rio called Lanca, Rio called Rialetto, Rio Arsa, Rio del Castello, Rio della Chiesa, Rio called Inferno, Rio Togni, Rio Mot. Branchis. The Rio della Taverna and Rio Fornate are present with an outlet in the Anzasca valley. The Rumianca Industrial Canal is an important work for the production of hydroelectric energy for industrial purposes. Lake Sant’Anna, in Loro hamlet, is linked to the Sant’Anna Fishermen’s Society. The watercourses registered in the public waters registry are: Rivo Valle dell’Inferno, Rivo di Megolo, Torrente Arsa, Rivo Vallaccia, Torrente Marmazza, Torrente Anza.Symbols
The coat of arms and banner of the Municipality of Pieve Vergonte were granted by decree of the President of the Republic on 5 November 1981.History
From Celtic tribes to the Roman Empire
The area of Northern Italy where today's Pieve Vergonte stands was known to the Romans as Gallia Transpadana, indicating that territory of Cisalpine Gaul comprised between the Alps and the Po river, and the ancient peoples who dwelt there were considered Gauls. The most relevant population of the area were the Insubres, from which the denomination of Insubria, while it seems that in the lands of the municipality of Pieve Vergonte were settled the Agoni, of which trace remains in the name of the Agogna river and the city of Vogogna.About a century later, the Romans were threatened with losing their conquests in the Gaul by an invasion of the Cimbri, who descended into Italy together with their allies the Teutones. The consuls Gaius Marius and Quintus Lutatius Catulus were sent at the head of a large army to stop them at the outlet of the Alps. Marius headed towards Provence while Catulus went to Ossola, ascending along the Atisone, today called Toce, and here he fortified himself in two castles, which as recounted by Plutarch in the life of Marius, should not have been very distant from ancient Vergunto, village placed where today's Pieve Vergonte stands, and from Vogogna, placed one on this side, the other on that side of the Atisone.
The high number of Cimbri invaders forced the Romans to retreat, leaving only a small garrison in the fortifications, which was, however, easily defeated. The Cimbri, travelling through the valleys to the plain between the Sesia and the Ticino, crossing the territory of Borgomanero, clashed with the Romans in the countryside of Vercelli, on this side of the Sesia. The Battle of the Raudine Plain of 101 BC, which occurred near present-day Peltrengo in the municipality of Casalino, was particularly bloody and marked the end of the Cimbri invasion.
The ancient Simplon road was traced in the contiguous territory of Vogogna and built east of the Atisone river directed towards Cardezza, Beura, Masera, Montecrestese, up to Ponte Maglio with which it passes to the opposite bank, still towards Crevola entering the Deveria valley and continuing to Iselle to Algabio and Simplon.
A Roman inscription, placed at Vogogna, indicates the restoration of the road in 196, under emperor Septimius Severus, with a text severely damaged in which one reads:
"QUIA FACTA EX......HS XIII DCC DOMITIO DEXTRO II P..... FUSCO COSS M VALERIO OPTATO.C.VALERIO.THALETE CURATORIBUS.OPERI.DATIS.IMPERIO.VENUSTI.CONDIANI.In the second line of the inscription are cited Gaius Domitius Dexter and Publius Fuscus, consuls in the year 196.
PROC.ALP.ATRECT.MARMOREIS CREPIDINIBUS.MUNITA".
The Goths dominion period
After the dismissal of Belisarius, general of the Roman Empire of the East, at war for the Byzantines against the Goths; Narses, general of the Roman Empire of the East, commands the expedition of the year 551 against the Goths, with the help of many Germanic mercenaries, including 2,500 Lombard warriors, the future invaders of Italy. The dominion of the Ostrogoths in Italy, including Pieve Vergonte, ended following the military defeat of King Totila, who clashed with Narses at Busta Gallorum at Tagina in July 552, was defeated and died in flight. The authentic proof of Gothic Ossola, including Pieve Vergonte, is the hoards of Greco-Gothic coins from Finero, a treasure of gold coins and jewels, while the hoards of Masera, are only of silver and already of Lombard origin.
Middle Ages
Lombard Kingdom periodThe Lombards, led by king Alboin in 569 passed into Italy. Paul the Deacon recounts in the Historia Langobardorum:
Habitaverunt autem in Pannoniam Annis quadraginta duobus. De qua egressi sunt mense Aprili, per indictionem Vai alla Alio Die Post Pascha sanctum, cuius festivitas eo anno iuxta calcoli rationem Ipsis Kalendis Aprilibus fuit, cum iam un incarnatione Domini Anni Quingenti sexaginta octo Essent evoluti.
In autumn 569, Alboin conquered Milan, where he was proclaimed king of Italy by his people, while Pavia was able to resist until 571, when it fell under Lombard dominion together with Vergunto. In 584, faced with the real threat of a Frankish invasion, the Lombards promoted King Authari and his successor, Agilulf.
Liutprand, king of the Lombards, successor of his father Ansprand, on whose throne he ascended in 712, was of Catholic faith and proved himself a builder and restorer of churches in Pavia and elsewhere. He founded the Monastery of San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro around the year 728, to which he made a gift of an estate, such Coro Vergonto, with the right to fish in the Atosa river, later reconfirmed by Conrad the Salic in 1033 The Lombard dominion of Italy and of Pieve Vergonte ended with king Desiderius who when king Aistulf died without heirs, was proclaimed his successor and could ascend to the throne through the intervention of Pope Stephen II.
Desiderius’s daughter, Desiderata, married Charlemagne, the Frankish king, in 770 as part of an alliance. However, Charlemagne repudiated her in 771, escalating tensions. The death of Charlemagne’s brother Carloman in 771 left Charlemagne free to focus on Italy, especially after Pope Adrian I’s call for aid against Desiderius. Desiderius’s aggressive moves, including threats against Rome, prompted Charlemagne to intervene, fearing the loss of prestige if Rome fell to the Lombards
In 773, Pope Adrian I, facing Desiderius’s threats, sought military support from Charlemagne. Charlemagne invaded Italy, defeating Desiderius’s forces at Susa and besieging Pavia, the Lombard capital. Desiderius’s son, Adelchis, attempted to resist from Verona but was forced to surrender the city to Frankish troops. He fled to the Byzantine Empire, seeking refuge and later attempting to reclaim the kingdom with Byzantine support, but he was unsuccessful.
After a nine-month siege, Pavia fell in June 774. Desiderius surrendered and was deposed. Charlemagne, in a groundbreaking move, took the title Gratia Dei rex Francorum et Langobardorum, becoming the first Germanic ruler to adopt the title of a conquered kingdom. This marked the end of the Lombard Kingdom in northern Italy. The conquest ended two centuries of Lombard rule in northern Italy, integrating the region into the Carolingian Empire. The region retained the name Lombardy, reflecting the Lombard legacy. Pieve Vergonte became part of the Carolingian Empire.
Charlemagne and Carolingian Empire period
The Carolingian Empire, founded by Charlemagne, reached its height after his coronation as “Emperor of the Romans” by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800, in Rome. This event revived the idea of a Western Roman Empire, with Charlemagne as a Christian emperor ruling over much of Western Europe, leading to fragmentation. The imperial title persisted but weakened, passing through various Carolingian rulers until it lapsed in the West with the death of Emperor Charles the Fat in 888 and later Berengar I in 924, when no emperor was crowned.
In the year 918 Vergunto and the neighboring lands, including fishing and hunting rights, appear as property of the ancient monastery of San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro in Pavia, as can be seen from imperial diplomas that confirm previous donations made by the Lombard king Liutprand in the 8th century and by subsequent emperors. The diploma that gives certainty is of King Berengar, in which one reads:
...et silc. corroboramus, oia quesca Ecclia possidet, in Epatu Nocariae in Oxola que dr. Vergunti et misendone et in villa et in monte cristeso et in murade et in varenzasca et in baci et in devere et in finole et in antigorio et piscaria que est in Tuxa et in valensasca, seselle cum ecclia in ibi fundata in honore santa marie et...
The Holy Roman Empire period
In 962, Otto I was crowned “Emperor of the Romans” by Pope John XII in Rome on 2 February, marking the foundation of what later became known as the Holy Roman Empire. This event is conventionally seen as the starting point of the Holy Roman Empire, though the term “Holy Roman Empire” was not used until the 13th century. Otto’s coronation revived the imperial tradition begun by Charlemagne, but his empire was centred in East Francia and northern Italy, distinct from the broader Carolingian Empire. Otto I’s coronation was significant because it reestablished a Western emperor recognised by the papacy, claiming continuity with the Roman and Carolingian imperial traditions. Unlike the Carolingian Empire, which included West Francia, the Holy Roman Empire was primarily Germanic and Italian in scope, including Pieve Vergonte.
In the year 1004 Henry II, king of Germany from 1002, descended into Italy, where Arduin of Ivrea had himself crowned king, and forced him to flee by girding himself with the royal crown of Italy at Pavia. Following clashes between Italians and Germans, Henry II had to abandon Rome and, passing through Tuscany and Lombardy, return to Germany. During this journey, he dispensed the broadest favours and privileges to the churches and especially to the bishops of Novara and Vercelli. The Emperor rewarded Bishop Peter of Novara, for the constant fidelity shown to him and in consideration of the damages suffered during the dominion of Arduin. In reward, therefore, for his abnegation and restoration of so many damages suffered by him, the Emperor granted a small county in the Ossola Valley. Pieve Vergonte was transferred into the power and under the jurisdiction of the Church
Conradus, etc. Cenobio S.Petri, quod dicitur Coleum Aureum, subvenire et nostra preceptali auctoritate confirmare et corroborare omnes cortes et proprietates, quas pridem per quodvis ingenium donoscitur possedisse... et omnia, quae in Monte Ferrato, et quae in Comitati Vercellensi et Yporegiensi, et quae in Novariensi ad eundem locum pertinent... et illas terras que habere visum est in Belingo et in Liventina, cum omnibus suis pertinentiis; cortem insuper, quae Vergonto dicitur, et Piscariam, quae est in Tauxa etc
This is the text of the most precious document, preserved in the Capitular Archive of Santa Maria in Novara.
To these facts of Italy is added the history of Pieve Vergonte, as on 12 July 1006 in the castle of the Island of San Giulio, Peter III, bishop of Novara, granted to one Grimaldo for 29 years half of four farms located in the territory of Anzola belonging to the goods of the parish church of San Vincenzo of Vergonte, for the annual rent of one hundred pounds of cheese. In 1006, the four farms and six colonists were pertaining to the parish church of Vergonte, even if administered by the Bishop, who, according to a formula in use at that time, enjoyed the goods but provided for the needs of that church proportionally to the fruits. A bond already strong in 1006, but which dated back to an earlier era and united Anzola to the most ancient parish of San Vincenzo of Vergonte. The six farmers of the church of Vergonte who in 1006 worked the four farms of which the land of Anzola was composed, probably descended from the first colonists settled by the Parish of Vergonte or by the Monastery of San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro of Pavia, which appears to have possessed in those times lands and fisheries in other places of the valley. The colonists lived off the products of agriculture and livestock, as revealed by the rent established in cheese - one hundred pounds - to be paid every year in the days preceding or following the feast of Saint Andrew : deadline postponed compared to that of Saint Martin, traditionally fixed as the end of the agricultural year.
The Investiture Controversy between emperors and popes weakened imperial control. The conflict, sparked by disputes over appointing bishops, empowered Italian cities, as both sides sought their support. The Concordat of Worms resolved the issue but reduced imperial influence over the Church, a key administrative arm in Italy. Cities like Milan, Florence, and Venice grew wealthy through trade, agriculture, and crafts, fostering a merchant class that demanded greater autonomy. By the late 11th century, northern Italian cities began forming comuni—self-governing entities led by elected consuls from the merchant and noble classes. Milan, Genoa, Pisa, and Bologna were among the earliest, with Milan emerging as a leader by 1097. Communes arose due to weak imperial and feudal control, economic growth, and the need for collective defence against external threats, including imperial intervention.
Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa sought to reassert imperial authority in northern Italy, demanding taxes and control over city governance. His campaigns provoked resistance, led by the Lombard League, a coalition of cities including Milan, Bergamo, and Brescia, formed in 1167 with papal support. The League defeated Frederick at the Battle of Legnano, a landmark victory for communal autonomy. The Peace of Constance granted cities the right to self-governance, including electing magistrates and managing finances, while nominally recognising imperial overlordship. This marked a significant step toward independence.
By the early 13th century, comuni were effectively independent, managing their own laws, militias, and foreign policies. Cities like Florence, Siena, and Venice developed sophisticated governments, with podestà hired to mediate factional disputes. However, internal conflicts between Guelphs and Ghibellines and class struggles between nobles and merchants destabilized communes, paving the way for signorial rule
By the mid-13th century, factionalism and external threats weakened communal governments. The struggle between Guelphs and Ghibellines, exacerbated by Emperor Frederick II’s campaigns, led to power vacuums in many cities. Strongmen, often Ghibelline nobles or military leaders, seized control as signori, promising stability. Cities like Verona and Ferrara transitioned from communes to hereditary lordships.
The Visconti, a noble Ghibelline family, emerged in Milan during the 13th century. They initially held ecclesiastical power, with Ottone Visconti appointed Archbishop of Milan in 1262 by Pope Urban IV, despite resistance from the pro-Guelph Della Torre family. Ottone defeated the Della Torre at the Battle of Desio, securing control of Milan. He became the city’s de facto lord, marking the transition from communal to signorial rule. His nephew, Matteo I Visconti, succeeded him in 1287.
Matteo expanded Visconti influence over Lombardy, capturing cities like Bergamo and Vercelli. His rule marked Milan’s transformation into a regional power, with the Visconti establishing hereditary control, formalised when Matteo’s son Galeazzo I succeeded him. In 1311, Emperor Henry VII briefly restored imperial authority in Italy, confirming Matteo as vicar, but his death in 1313 and subsequent papal excommunication of Matteo underscored the Visconti’s reliance on local power rather than imperial backing.
In the year 1301, on 20 September, Francesco Scaciga della Silva writes in his History of Ossola Valley:
Leonardo da Perazzo who such was the name of the Ossolan Vicar before whom the disputes were pending, and who held his tribunal under the cover of Pietra Santa, in the village of Vergonte...In the year 1348, on 9 February, the village of Pietrasanta, born following the destruction of ancient Vergunto and preceding the creation of Pieve Vergonte, was destroyed by a flood of the Anza torrent. At that time Pietrasanta was capital of Lower Ossola and ordinary seat of the tribunal for the entire District. Francesco Scaciga della Silva reports again in his History of Ossola Valley:
The river or torrent as one wishes to call it, of Anza, which starting from the ice of Monte Rosa runs through the entire Valley, to carry the whitish waters into the bosom of the Toce, changed so much its course and advanced with such precipice into the country, that the damage no longer had remedy.Pieve Vergonte was still the remains of the most ancient village of Vergonte, which was submerged by a terrible irruption of the Marmazza torrent around the 5th century of the common era. Always Scaciga della Silva reports:
The code of Novarese statutes makes us certain that when Domodossola, Vogogna, Valle Antigorio, Ornavasso and Mergozzo brought to the feast of Saint Gaudenzo in Novara, only four and a half pounds of wax among all, Pietra Santa alone sent a full eight pounds.Above the hamlet of Megolo, there was a small castle, which already served as a signalling place on the behaviour of the enemy in the time of the Ferraris factions of Lower Ossola and Spilorcia of Upper Ossola.
Rumianca was included in the Lordship of Vogogna and became a fief of a branch of the Borromeo family, owner of the boat port through which one crossed the Toce
By the mid-14th century, under Azzone Visconti and his successors, the Visconti transformed Milan into the dominant power in northern Italy, absorbing cities like Pavia and Bologna. They ruled as signori, later claiming ducal titles from Emperor Charles IV, signalling the eclipse of communal autonomy. The Visconti’s success lay in their ability to exploit communal factionalism, secure imperial titles for legitimacy, and build a centralised administration, paving the way for the Duchy of Milan under Gian Galeazzo Visconti.